Swarm lists by state
Colorado
Colorado residents currently rely mainly on the Colorado State Beekeepers Association for swarm response and on the Colorado Department of Agriculture for statewide honey-bee policy and honey-bee health guidance. Colorado no longer runs routine state apiary inspections or export certification for beekeepers, so the most practical current tools are the CSBA swarm hotline, CSBA structural-removal list, and CDA/CSU education pages.
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- Swarm or bee removal list
- Official page →
- State beekeepers association
- Colorado State Beekeepers Association
- Typical swarm season
- April to June
- Africanized honey bees
- not established
Official resources in Colorado
Statewide official association page for Colorado beekeepers, local club connections, and CSBA programs.
Use this statewide hotline page for outdoor honey-bee swarms and regional dispatcher routing across Colorado.
Use this official CSBA remover list when bees are inside a wall, roof, vent, or other structure.
State agency page covering Colorado honey-bee policy, the National Honey Bee Survey, and current limits of state inspection services.
Key facts for Colorado
- CDA says Colorado no longer offers inspections or export certifications for apiarists shipping bees to states requiring certificates.
- CDA says routine beehive inspections were discontinued in 1987, and the program has been unfunded since registration fees were eliminated in 1990.
- CSBA says Colorado swarms occur in spring; on its hotline page, swarming starts about April 1, with May and June the busiest months.
- CSBA’s home page says swarms occur between March through July in Colorado.
- CSU Extension says Africanized honey bees occur in parts of the Southwest but are unlikely to ever establish in Colorado.
- CDA says the National Honey Bee Survey in Colorado is voluntary and is not the same as registration or regulatory inspection.
What to do next
- If the bees are clustered outdoors, use the CSBA Swarm Hotline first rather than spraying them or calling multiple beekeepers.
- If bees are inside a wall, roof, soffit, or vent, use the CSBA structural-removal list; that work is not a free swarm pickup.
- If you keep bees in Colorado, use CDA and CSU guidance for hive monitoring and integrated hive management, and consider enrolling eligible apiaries in the National Honey Bee Survey.
Helpful guides
- What to do when you see a honey bee swarm
- A swarm vs. an established hive: why it matters
- Honey bees, wasps or yellowjackets? How to tell
- Bee cutout and hive removal cost